Aligning students, staff and leadership to improve outcomes

A checklist of key responsibilities to get everyone involved in student success

Improving student outcomes can sometimes feel like a game of hot potato. Institutions today are under increasing pressure from all sides — students and their families, the public, and policymakers alike — to increase persistence, raise graduation rates and boost career readiness. The upshot is an expanding workload that may make you want to toss the new initiative that just landed in your lap to anyone else on campus.

The best outcomes emerge, however, when the responsibilities and the rewards of enhancing student success are shared across an institution. When more engaged students enter an institution, and more prepared graduates exit, lasting improvements take hold that benefit everyone.

“Teamwork makes the dream work” — we’ve all heard the saying. But understanding the strategy behind it is a little tougher. How can leaders introduce tough changes that impact everyone? What’s the best way to blend the different expertise areas of everyone on staff? How do you empower students to feel accountable for their own advancement?

In a recent blog post, Pete Wheelan, InsideTrack CEO, breaks down the fundamentals of student success by delineating the roles played by three campus constituencies — students, leadership and student-facing staff. Identifying three key to-dos to make each group more effective, Wheelan offers a guide to aligning distinct sets of duties in pursuit of a single goal: better student outcomes.